Airbag systems are commonly used in motor vehicles. In fact, the inclusion of airbag systems onto motor vehicles has been credited with saving literally thousands of lives. Because of the added safety benefits associated with airbags, regulations have been promulgated in many jurisdictions requiring the inclusion of airbag systems on all new vehicles.
Airbag systems are designed such that in the event of an accident or crash, one or more airbags will be inflated and deployed. Once inflated/deployed, the airbag becomes positioned in the interior of the vehicle in a position that provides impact protection to the vehicle occupant(s). More specifically, the inflated airbag becomes positioned such that during the crash, the occupant impacts the airbag rather than the vehicle's steering wheel, dashboard, lateral side, door, etc. As the inflated airbag is generally “softer” than the hard surfaces of the vehicle, having the occupant impact the airbag rather than the vehicle surfaces greatly reduces the likelihood that the occupant will be injured in the crash.
“Inflatable curtain” airbag systems are a particular type of airbag that has received recent attention. (These systems are also referred to as “side-curtain” airbag systems.) Inflatable curtain airbags are designed to be mounted above the vehicle door. In the event of an accident or crash, the inflatable curtain airbag system will inflate the airbag downward to cover the door and lateral side of the vehicle, thereby preventing the vehicle occupant from harmful impact with the vehicle door/side. When inflated, inflatable curtain airbag systems may also prevent the vehicle occupant's head, arms, torso, etc. from being thrown out of an open vehicle window during a crash.
Most airbag systems, including inflatable curtain airbag systems, include an inflator (which is sometimes called an “airbag inflator”). An inflator is a device that is designed to produce and/or channel a large volume of inflation gas into the airbag in the event of an accident or crash. Such an influx of gas into the airbag causes the airbag to inflate and deploy. Inflators are generally cylindrical in shape.
In general, the inflator used as part of an inflatable curtain airbag system is generally mounted on the vehicle proximate to the inflatable curtain airbag via a mounting bracket. This mounting bracket may be affixed to the vehicle via bolts or other fasteners.
As part of this attachment process, the inflator will first be “staged” to the vehicle. This means that the inflator and the inflator mounting bracket are positioned onto the vehicle by inserting a portion of the mounting bracket into a hole or opening positioned on the vehicle. Once the bracket and the inflator have been staged into the proper position, torque will be applied to the bolts to secure the bolts to the vehicle and securely affix the inflator (and the mounting bracket) to the vehicle.
Unfortunately, mounting brackets for some inflators are expensive to manufacture and/or purchase. This is especially true for inflators that are used with inflatable curtain airbag systems. In fact, such usage of these expensive mounting brackets in inflatable curtain airbag systems contributes greatly to the overall cost of manufacturing the airbag system. Accordingly, finding a new type of bracket that is less expensive would be advantageous.
Further, in order to “stage” the mounting bracket/inflator to the vehicle, the mounting bracket must include long hooks that will engage holes in the vehicle. However, the exact location of these holes on each particular vehicle type varies depending on the type of vehicle, the size of the vehicle, the size/shape of the inflator, etc. As a result, not all types of mounting brackets can be used with all types of vehicles. Rather, it is not uncommon for each type of vehicle to have its own specific inflator mounting bracket—i.e., an inflator mounting bracket that has been specially designed so that it will fit into the staging holes (and hole locations) that are particular to that vehicle design. Further, the fixed position of the staging holes on the vehicle drastically limits the ability of airbag manufacturers to change the orientation, arrangement, and/or position of the inflatable curtain on the vehicle.
Designing and using a new inflator mounting bracket for each type of vehicle design significantly increases the overall production costs of the airbag system. Accordingly, it would provide a significant cost savings if a new type of inflator mounting bracket could be designed that may be used on a variety of different vehicle models and designs. Further, it would be an advancement to provide a bracket that would provide a mechanism for the airbag manufacturer to readily change the orientation, alignment, arrangement, etc. of the inflatable curtain airbag. Such a new type of inflator mounting assembly is disclosed herein.